As I’ve become more experienced and comfortable in my style of photography, I’ve come to realise there are certain lenses and focal lengths that suit my style and that inspire me to take photos. There are some lenses I love using but don’t quite connect with the resulting images (such as the Zeiss 100mm f2 Makro-Planar), others that I love using and love the resulting images but rarely find myself wanting to use that focal length (such as the Zeiss 21mm f2.8 Distagon), others that I don’t particularly enjoy using and don’t quite like the resulting images but have unique capabilities (such as the Venus Laowa 15mm f4 macro), others that I love but are rather heavy (such as the Canon EF 300mm f2.8L IS USM), and yet others that don’t really excite me but perform well as workhorses to get the job done (such as the Canon EF 100mm f2.8L IS USM macro, the Canon EF 16-35mm f4 IS USM and Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM II).
But there’s one lens that more or less combines all the right attributes - I love using, I love the resulting images, and I love the focal length. And that lens is the Zeiss 35mm f2 Distagon Classic.
The 35mm f2 was the second Zeiss lens I bought after the 21mm f2.8. So why buy a manual focus only lens? I actually genuinely can’t remember why I decided I needed this lens (I bought it back in 2012) - perhaps I liked the 21mm so much I wanted to expand my Zeiss collection. Maybe I had an inkling 35 mm was the right focal length for me.
As with all other Zeiss lenses, the 35mm f2 is a joy to use. The manual focus ring is perfectly damped and is incredibly satisfying even to just turn. The lack of autofocus encourages a slower pace, more deliberation and appreciation of creating images.
A favourite portrait of me, taken by my partner Ali.
Ali washes her hands at a temple in Japan.
I’m showing mostly landscapes and flowers here, but the 35mm f2 has been my go-to lens for hanging out with friends, weekend trips to the coast, walks without a particular goal, life moments. Times when I want to have a camera with me to document life, but also want to enjoy the creative process. It’s the lens I turn to when I’ve got no fixed idea of what I want to photograph but feel like photographing something. I’ve used it to create many memorable images and record many valuable moments in my life.
Microtis unifolia growing amongst Chrysocephalum apiculatum. There were literally carpets of Microtis this spring at our bush block.
A strong performance from the Zeiss 35mm f2 here, holding excellent contrast and colour in a backlit scene with classic character. Diuris dendrobioides.
Relaxing at the coast in north-east Arnhem Land.
The reason I love this lens is it has tons of character. The colours are vivid, it is contrasty, and the bokeh has a way of rendering that is smooth but holds its contrast in out of focus areas. It’s what people refer to as the Zeiss ‘pop’ or ‘3D’ look, and it produces wonderful images straight off the bat and without having to do much in post.
Importantly, I find Zeiss 35mm f2 renders beautifully without much effort in a wide range of lighting situations, and from close up to far distance. By comparison, I find the Zeiss 21mm f2.8 can be harsh in high contrast scenes, while the Zeiss 50mm f2 Makro-Planar I find a little boring and lacking in character.
Fields of Chrysocephalum apiculatum at our bush block.
Morning fog along the Murrumbidgee River valley.
I don’t own any other 35mm prime lenses, but I doubt the Zeiss 35mm f2 would be the most technically perfect. There is some barrel distortion, moderately strong vignetting, some lateral chromatic aberration, and resolution is great in the center but not edge-to-edge at wider apertures. But I honestly wouldn’t want it to be any different - I turn to this lens for its character, not a clinical performance.
The seeds of Bursaria spinosa.
